
Here, you can always revisit an older version to review details you want to re-emphasize in rewrites.
#First draft vs final draft example software#
It takes cues from software versioning, noting that not every change means a new draft. While this started as more of a joke between writers on social media, it’s a great middle-of-the-road way to think about drafting.

Plus, for larger projects like novels, you need to divide your manuscript into parts and have a file system in place to keep track of your revisions. But you may risk losing details from earlier drafts because of the repeat saves. The advantage here lies in simplicity: you have fewer files to juggle since you’re saving to the same file over and over. Which means when saving a manuscript to a file, you wouldn’t alter the file name until you completely rewrite that chapter, section, or piece.
#First draft vs final draft example full#
By this definition, only full rewrites of a piece count as a true draft. Keep reading for more on how this draft spectrum works. Middle-of-the-road: The fiction patching method.It’s impossible to say: “oh, writing a novel will take five drafts.”īecause the definition of “draft” can vary so much, it’s useful to think about drafting on a spectrum: Which means every writer’s version of “the writing process” will look different.

There are as many ways to define the word “draft” as there are writers. The biggest problem with breaking down the writing process from first to last draft can be linked back to one little detail: A rose by any other name: What’s in a draft? Unfortunately, you’re more likely to answer “how many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie pop?” before knowing how many drafts you’ll need before publication. It’s natural to wonder: how many drafts will it take before my story is ready to publish? For write-to-publish newbies, you might want to know what you’re getting into, especially if you’re working on a large project like a novel. So you’ve decided to write a story and hope to publish it.
